


And the healing has begun (and I wanna make love to you )

by extranuts



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Healing, M/M, Pack Dynamics, Recovery, deep mind issues that need to be resolved, derek isn't helping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-29
Updated: 2012-08-24
Packaged: 2017-11-10 23:44:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/472046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extranuts/pseuds/extranuts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years after the Kamina Fiasco, Jackson struggles to fit into the pack. Isaac tries to fix him.</p><p>Somewhere along the line, romance becomes a thing that happens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And we’ll walk down the avenue again

**Author's Note:**

> asdfghjkl; so teen wolf fic is something I do now, apparently. 
> 
> Right, so this is set two years after the Kamina thing blows over. In this happy part of my brain, Lydia remains human and becomes part of the pack. After a few months, Jackson recovers from physical injuries that came with being a lizard-puppet and turns fully. He joins the pack, but is still a bit messed up. The Pack has also had the time to bond and rely on each other a lot more. Jackson's parent-issues do not help. 
> 
> Isaac, on the other hand has gone through his own process of recovery, discovered more of who he is as a person and is a lot more confident. He is also a sassy little butterfly.
> 
>  
> 
> ...I just really wanted to write Isaac, okay.

It's Thursday afternoon and Isaac stays behind after training to keep an eye on Jackson. Derek _would_ do it, he tells Isaac seriously, but he has something important on. This is bullshit, because Isaac can smell Stiles and his jeep, sitting in the driveway, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. They have fifteen minutes till their movie starts. Isaac is pretty sure that there is nothing much he can offer Jackson and any intervention he could implement would result in mutual injury, but Derek twitches and tugs the hem of his jacket restlessly and Isaac figures that his Alpha deserves a break from Jackson every once in a while.

Two minutes later, Stiles’ jeep screeches – no one has ever really understood why they never use Derek's car – and Isaac is standing in the kitchen watching Jackson over-exert himself.

The Hale house is quiet for once, but not really empty. It smells of Pack, now, of _Family,_ like Isaac remembers from years and years ago, when his father still knew how to smile. Its nice.

The girls are out, Isaac knows, Thursday is mall day after training; Erica had very nearly bowled him over in a bid to grab the showers first. He would know, anyway, because Scott never stops grumbling over his exclusion from these strictly no-boyfriends trips. It borders on annoying, sometimes, but to love someone like Scott loves Allison and be loved like that in return is something real and true. Isaac had never really believed it could happen and seeing them is like a breath of fresh air - a promise or a spring of hope. 

And Boyd. Isaac sniffs, Boyd is in his room, _sitting,_ probably watching Jackson too. Boyd has always been the responsible one. Isaac considers calling Boyd down to watch with him. He makes it to the foot of the stairs before deciding against it.

They could do with some time apart after they fizzled out. It was stupid to begin with, they both agreed - stupid to start something based on the Bite that drew them together, when there wasn't a single spark between them. It had been _good,_ though _,_ their relationship, comfortable and warm and more like a friendship than anything else.

Boyd _go_ t Isaac, and maybe that was why they could never work out.

Isaac heads outside, squinting in the sun and feeling sticky already. He'd just got into a new T-shirt, too. Its pushing five, and Jackson has been out there since noon like the rest of them without so much as a water break. The idiot. Thats the thing about Jackson, Isaac has come to realize, he can't stand being behind the rest of the pack, the inexperienced failure who fell prey to the crazy,vengeful Master.

The thing is, no one else thinks that Jackson is behind besides Jackson himself. Sure, he's not quite there yet with the whole anchor thing, but Isaac is pretty sure that Jackson could hold his own against Boyd, even, in a fight. But then, Jackson can't see that. Jackson has to be the _best._ He wants Derek to recognize him, single him out for praise and promote him to pack captain or something.

Derek, though, is not like that.  Two years of being an Alpha have not yet gifted Derek with the ability to have emotional heart-to-hearts with his Betas. Derek's last (Stiles enforced) attempt at getting Jackson to tone it down had ended with him wolf-ing out and Jackson huddled in a corner with a renewed determination to overtake the whole pack)

Isaac's train of thought is cut off sharply when Jackson slams himself into a tree. _Derek_ can probably hear the crack of Jackson's skull from where he's cuddled up with Stiles in the theatre. From his room, Boyd makes a sympathetic noise. Isaac can practically smell him pushing off all wolf-sitting responsibility, the fucker.

Jackson sits on the grass and curls into himself. It's strange seeing Jackson - strong, beautiful Jackson huddled up like he's been defeated. Isaac grabs an ice-pack and heads over slowly. You never really know how Jackson will react to assistance. Today, though, the knock must have been pretty bad. Jackson lets Isaac tug him into a sitting position and turns his head obligingly to let Isaac press the ice against his forehead.

“You okay?”

“Yeah”, Jackson rasps painfully, “it's healing”.

And it is, but Jackson is very much not okay and Isaac vocalizes this, ignoring the way Jackson scowls because Isaac is clearly right. 

The snappy retort is right on the tip of Jackson's tongue, but he seems to shake himself a little and shrugs instead. It's not really a response, but it's not bad. Jackson doesn't let Isaac help him back to the house, but they walk in companionable silence and Jackson accepts the bottle of water Isaac hands him with a mumbled word of thanks.

Isaac is just beginning to think that maybe they could just sit in silence together until the rest of the pack come back when Jackson gets up, stretches, and makes to go back out.

“Whoa, whoa, _whoa,”_ Isaac places himself between Jackson and the door, “That's enough for today.”

“I don't have to listen to you,” Jackson does not take well to instruction. He takes a defiant step forward.

It would be so easy to let himself lose it, have a heated brawl with Jackson and his messed up mindset, Isaac muses. Jackson isn't being the most likeable person in the world, and Isaac’s wolf wants to teach him a lesson, _beat_ Jackson. But it's an ugly part of him, a part that Isaac has control over. He exercises this control and puts a palm on Jackson's chest.

“It's been five hours, Jackson, you need to rest or you won't be able to move a muscle tomorrow. There isn't anything more you can do without Derek here anyway.”

Jackson raises his chin in disagreement. He’s already losing control and Isaac realizes that maybe Jackson has a problem that needs a bit more attention than Derek thinks (or wants to think, Isaac isn't really sure. He makes a note to talk to Stiles later.)

“This isn't lacrosse,” Isaac says firmly and pushes Jackson gently back to his seat. He doesn't expect Jackson to let him, but Jackson sags and flops down again.

Neither of them knows quite what to say after this.

“I wanted to fight you, you know. The wolf wanted to rip your throat out”, Jackson, says at last. And finally they're getting somewhere. Isaac moves closer to Jackson on the couch, ignoring the way Jackson instinctively shifts away a little.

“I did too”, Isaac tells him. “But once you find your anchor, your wolf doesn't feel like such a big problem anymore”. Things like running, though, are another story. Isaac is bad at running.

“I have an anchor”, Jackson says irritably, “and its useless”.

“It's not all about you, you know,” Isaac chooses to say mildly.

Jackson glares, but Isaac continues, because if Derek can't say it, he may as well have a go.

“Your anchor isn't about _you_. It's not about desire or mindless anger. It has to come from a part of you that makes you believe that you can do anything. When you think about it, your heart knows peace and you become your wolf's master.”

Jacksons mouth snaps shut into a thin line.

“And,” Isaac continues, “you aren't going anywhere without throwing away all the competitive god-complex shit. You’re _Pack_ , and we need to draw strength from each other. You’ll only hurt yourself if all you want is to beat everyone else.”

In the space of five seconds, Jackson's face shifts from shocked, to outraged to defeated. What results is a look so afriad and broken that Isaac thinks he might cry. And while Jackson has been pack for months, this is the first time Isaac feels an urge to go over and snuggle Jackson until he's better. He considers this for a momment before deciding against moving too fast. Being thrown across the room does nothing for fostering strong pack bonds. 

What Isaac does instead is press his hands into Jackson's shoulders for a few seconds and knead gently till Jackson’s muscles loose a fraction of their tension. “Go take a shower,” he says softly.

Jackson goes.

Isaac sits by himself in thoughtful silence until the girls pour back in and _wonders._

 


	2. we'll sing all the songs from way back when-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years after the Kamina Fiasco, Jackson struggles to fit into the pack. Isaac tries to fix him.
> 
> Somewhere along the line, romance becomes a thing that happens.

Jackson is quiet and subdued all week. Boyd spends a great deal of time looking at Isaac and raising his eyebrows. Isaac pointedly ignores him.  
  
Lydia too, comes out of a long conversation with Jackson with a tight, pensive look on her face and fixes Isaac with a long, hard stare. They don't have their _thing_ anymore, but Isaac is pretty sure Jackson trusts Lydia most. And he should. It was, after all, Lydia who dragged Jackson round to Derek's house and coreced him into staying. It's Lydia who puts up with exactly _Zero Shit_ from Jackson and who Jackson would never lift a finger against. But there is _something_. Something that is gone, something that might have been romance that died a few times over when the whole werwolf thing went down. Isaac is not a nosy person, but every now and again he indulges in speculation. He wonders if there will come a time where he can ask and Jackson will tell him.  
  


Derek is looking at him thoughtfully as well, keeping a sharp eye on Jackson and tracking their interaction with this strange unreadable look on his face. This is why Isaac isn't really surprised when Thursday rolls around again that Derek is nowhere to be found. What he does find is a tupperware on the kitchen counter with yesterday's pizza. There is a yellow post-it on the box with that reads:  
  


_eat :)  
  
_

It might be Erica, could be Stiles, but is definalty not Lydia (Lydia does not do smiley faces. Or orange highlighters). Scott would not have thought to leave any Pizza for anyone ,and Boyd has found a part-time job that he refuses to tell Isaac about. But its nice, having leftovers and cute notes and smileys. Its everything a family should be. Behind the post-it is another note that says:  
  


_SCOTT. DO NOT SCOFF ALL OF THIS DOWN LEAVE SOME FOR EVERYONE ELSE.  
  
_

Stiles, then. Scott clearly hasn't noticed the pizza yet. Isaac rolls his eyes, stuffs a slice into his mouth and heads outside.  
  


Jackson is still running, probably far harder than is good for him, but Isaac decides not to interfere yet. It's not like Jackson has been off form. In fact, he's doing better than last week; less angry and more controlled. He even let Boyd teach him a few things instead of insisting on figuring shit out on his own (not Scott though, because Scott and leadership is clearly a sore spot for Jackson)  
  


Isaac wonders if he should give more pep talks after all.  
  


At least, he _does_ , until Jackson suddenly loses it completely, wolfs out and fucking uproots a small tree. Scott is there before Isaac can move, growling Jackson down and pinning him to the ground. Jackson fights, gives as good as he has, but Scott, as un-captain like as he is, still remains the fastest and the strongest of all of them, and there nothing Jackson can do about it. Jackson swears until he goes slightly blue and even Isaac, who has heard his fair share of nasty language raises an impressed eyebrow. Scott knows better than to talk to Jackson, so he gets up and heads back to the house, giving Isaac a look which clearly means, p _lease help me deal with him and his issues because I don't understand and why can't we all be friends.  
  
_

Jakcson kicks the tree sullenly, but he seems to have stoped his little temper fit and moves to join Isaac on the grass. It doesn't take a genius to see that Jackson is not Alpha, or, really leadership material. It’s the inevitable defeat, Isaac thinks, that Jackson needs to master. Maybe, Isaac tells Jackson (and really, is heart-to-heart his thing now?) he shouldn't think of it as defeat. Maybe, it's accepting Pack and that he can't be his best without embracing them all.  
  


Isaac isn’t even sure where all this inspirational advice is coming from; he’s coming out of a long journey of healing and self-acceptance that he’s had to figure out by himself, and he’s terrified of messing stuff up and screwing Jackson up even more. He isn't sure if he can deal with a broken beta with issues that Isaac doesn't know how to solve.   
  


And the thing is, Jackson seems to be taking Isaac seriously enough. That part is the scariest thing of all. Isaac is quite content with floating about, going through life without having to deal with emotions and angry werewolves. But then, of course, Jackson is Pack, and Isaac is feeing it more keenly than before. Its small, but its a start and the best thing he can do for Jackson is make sure he doesn’t have to heal alone.   
  


Jackson tells Isaac a little about being a Kanima, about helpness and the feeling of losing every shred of humanity behind scales and his Master's will. He talks about feeling like nothing, like nobody, like he doesn't even own himself. He talks about seeing his face in the mirror as the Kanima took over and the horror of realising that he wasn't strong enough to fight it; wasn't good enough.   
  


Isaac listens, sees how Jackson loathes himself and thinks that maybe it's a little deeper than leadership issues. Jackson is broken, utterly broken and  _scared._ He doesn't know himself, doesn't have something that ties him to his humanity and keep him sane. It's just anger and sheer will that he's running on and Isaac knows from painful expereience that it never lasts long.   
  
Jackson shuts his eyes and tunrs his face to the sky. "It's only ever peaceful when I shut down and think of clouds," he says softly.  
  


They end with a hug that Isaac initiates and that Jackson does not resist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> weird filler chapter. Today's episode has unleashed a whole slew of Jackson feelings about identity and loss that I will now have to try and write in. 
> 
> Also Isaac, oh god the beautiful, squishy baby.


	3. we'll walk down the avenue in style-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years after the Kamina Fiasco, Jackson struggles to fit into the pack. Isaac tries to fix him.
> 
> Somewhere along the line, romance becomes a thing that happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so this is set two years after the Kamina thing blows over. In this happy part of my brain, Lydia remains human and becomes part of the pack. After a few months, Jackson recovers from physical injuries that came with being a lizard-puppet and turns fully. He joins the pack, but is still a bit messed up. The Pack has also had the time to bond and rely on each other a lot more. Jackson's parent-issues do not help.  
> Isaac, on the other hand has gone through his own process of recovery, discovered more of who he is as a person and is a lot more confident. He is also a sassy little butterfly.  
> AU after episode 10, really. 
> 
> ...I just really wanted to write Isaac, okay.

The thing about Jackson as a calm, fully-fledged werewolf is that he has retained almost every aspect of his human personality. While this is to be expected, the problem is that, physical perfection aside, Jackson’s personality is pretty unbearable.

Jackson doesn't share, doesn't say nice things about people other than himself, doesn't do well with losing, and doesn’t hold back on tearing others down. Jackson wants the best and doesn't care if anyone else needs it more. Isaac is sure that if Jackson had to watch himself sulk about, he would be at least seventy percent nicer.

But then of course, Isaac realizes, his personality, shitty as it may be, is all Jackson _has,_ at this point. Its all that he knows, and all that makes him, _him._ And so, Jackson clings stubbornly onto his old self; his old, popular, perfect self, pretends that he’s still at the very top of the metaphorical food chain.

He throws words at people – at _Pack_ – cruel words that are meant to hurt. He doesn’t want to cuddle and he tries his very best to be subtly better than the rest.

It becomes an issue. 

Everyone tries their very hardest to be nice to Jackson, partly because Jackson is now Pack, and mostly because Jackson was lizard-puppet to crazy men with issues and killed a crapload of innocent people.

The thing is, it reaches a point where Jackson’s angst is heavily outweighed by how much of a jerk he is being. While everyone knows full well that Jackson is really just a fragile asshole who needs someone to slowly push him in the right direction, nobody quite knows how to go about it.

Somewhere along the line, it is silently and unanimously decided that Isaac will be the one to do it.

-

There comes a time when one discovers that love is not really _Love_ after all. Isaac found this to be true with Boyd and he suspects that Jackson did with Lydia too. 

"I love her so much," Jackson says, “but it's not romantic anymore." 

"Like you don't want to kiss her anymore but she still means so much" Isaac agrees, and grins when Jackson looks at him sternly. “I don’t mean Lydia, dude, I just get what you’re saying.”

He offers Jackson a grape and notes with some satisfaction that after a moments thought, Jackson holds out his bag of chips in return.

“So are we going to talk about how you’re pissing everyone off?”

It takes all of three seconds for Jackson’s face to shutter off and fix itself into an annoyed stare. Isaac sighs and tries to rephrase _you are a butthole_ to something less blunt and confrontational.

“You know that we’re supposed to be like a family, right?” he tries, and instantly regrets it, because, if anything, it brings Jackson’s family issues more sharply into focus.

Jackson’s claws are coming out slightly, digging into the bag of chips. Isaac can hear the chips crushing into tiny, hard-to-eat bits and sighs. He gives it another go.

“You don’t have to push everyone away while you find yourself. We are seriously ready to help with whatever, you know.”

Jackson snorts. Isaac can practically hear the unspoken _I don’t need your help,_ because that is so typically Jackson; alone and desperate to maintain his dignity.

“And you’re stuck with us for some time,” Isaac continues, “Unless you don’t want us anymore. Then I’m sure Derek will let you go.”

He isn’t ready for the flash of desperate, terrified fear that bursts through Jackson’s eyes and near well chokes Isaac with its intensity. It’s a feeling Isaac isn’t a stranger to. Jackson wants Pack, Isaac realizes, he wants it so bad, but he _can’t._ Jackson doesn’t think he’s good enough, doesn’t think that anyone would really, truly want him in the Pack.

He pushes, behaves like the biggest jerk to ever be a jerk just to see if they’ll finally kick him out. No one has, so far, and Jackson doesn’t understand. He _can’t,_ and it’s consuming him, haunting his thoughts and he doesn’t know how to tell anyone.

Isaac wants to press his fingers into Jackson’s skin and smack him for being so incredibly silly. He wants to hug Jackson till he can’t breathe and cuddle him till he understands that he doesn’t have to be that special somebody for someone to love him.

Isaac is pretty sure that Jackson will try to bite him if he attempts any of those things. Instead, he reaches to cover Jackson’s hand with his own.

“You need us, and we need you,” he says, slowly and carefully, “Just you, right now, as you are.  So don’t _ever_ think that we won’t want you. We aren’t perfect, and god knows you aren’t either. We make each other better, and I’ll be damned if I let you sink on your own.”

And Jackson has his equivalent of an emotional breakdown, right there next to Isaac on the couch. If inner turmoil could come to life, Isaac thinks, Jackson’s mind would be full-scale Nuclear War.

This breakdown, Isaac realizes, is for his eyes only. It makes him feel strangely proprietary, almost fiercely defensive of anyone else seeing Jackson break. Isaac _wants_ to be the one who fixes Jackson, he wants to take the fragments of Jackson’s broken spirit and piece them together, one by one, until the day comes that Jackson can find it in himself to live.

It scares the ever-living shit out of him, because Isaac wants so much, but doesn’t quite know how to give. He will try his best though, Isaac resolves, because Jackson –this Jackson, heaving thick, painful breaths against his shoulder – needs him more than both of them even know.

 “Hey,” he says softly, “Why don’t you let those chips off and we can do something fun.” And that sounds ridiculously dorky, but Jackson takes one last, deep huff of breath and looks up, dry-eyed but emotionally drained. He lets go of the bag of chip-dust and worries at his lip for a few tense seconds before speaking. 

“I have Star Wars on blu-ray,” he offers tentatively, still wary of rejection after everything Isaac has said.

Isaac’s smile is so wide it hurts and feels like his face will split in two. Firstly because he fucking _loves_ Star Wars and then because Jackson. _Jackson._

 _“Dude,_ why are we even sitting here, I’ll get the popcorn and meet you there in five.”

If there is one thing that Isaac will remember for as long as his memory will hold, it is Jackson’s face, so openly hopeful and happy that Isaac wants to sob and laugh and flail hysterically at the same time.

Jackson will be Pack; Isaac will make sure of it. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, dying a little from trying to slip in bits from the finale that were not there before when I wrote the last two chapters.  
> Possibly flailing helplessly right now. I can't decide if I want to throw Peter into this party.  
> Also, I totally need a beta. Apparently, it's possible to be able to beta for someone else and then become completely unable to do your own work. If anyone can help me, it would be crazily amazeballs.


	4. we'll say baby ain't it all worthwhile-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years after the Kamina Fiasco, Jackson struggles to fit into the pack. Isaac tries to fix him.
> 
> Somewhere along the line, romance becomes a thing that happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so this is set two years after the Kamina thing blows over. After a few months, Jackson recovers from physical injuries that came with being a lizard-puppet and turns fully. He joins the pack after a bit of drama and supernatural delay, but is still a bit messed up. The Pack has also had the time to bond and rely on each other a lot more. Jackson's issues do not help.  
> Isaac, on the other hand has gone through his own process of recovery, discovered more of who he is as a person and is a lot more confident. He is also a sassy little butterfly.  
> AU after episode 10.

“I'm sorry,” Jackson says one day.

Isaac is intrigued; _Sorry_ is not something Jackson tosses about lightly. He takes a gulp of his slushie (Peach for him, and cola for Jackson).

“What for?”

“I knew, you know,” Jackson says carefully, “about your dad,” and draws back as Isaac twitches, because Isaac doesn't talk about his dad. He didn't pre-werewolf, and he doesn't now. Before, it was because no one cared to ask. Now, everyone knows better. The slushie takes on a slightly sour flavor. Isaac forces his mouthful down.

He wonders why Jackson is bringing it up at all, although it’s probably a good sign of positive progress in their interaction. Jackson and Isaac have this _thing,_ now, where Isaac fixes him and Jackson fixes him right back. It’s good. It’s all in the nitty-gritty, he’d told Jackson, baring everything and understanding how to heal the wounds.

They’re not even a quarter of the way through, but Jackson had buried his face in Isaac’s chest and told him about the day (a little after he turned four) he found out that he wasn’t who he thought he was. Isaac supposes this makes them emotionally challenged recovery buddies who _should_ be sharing about sensitive, angsty issues.

But then it’s shocking, because Isaac hadn’t even known that Jackson noticed him before werewolf-gate.

“You knew?” It comes out a little sharper, a little more upset than he intends. Jackson looks even more nervous than before and it’s a surprise when he plunges on determinedly.

“I knew and I didn't do anything. I heard the shouting and the crashing and I didn’t care. I don’t remember myself caring. I - ” Jackson looks like he’s about to cry, because he’s found another thing to fervently hate about who he used to be, who he still lapses into on bad days.

And of course Jackson knew, Isaac had been stupid to think he was keeping it a secret, but it hurts to hear it said aloud. The whole school probably knew- knew and ignored it. Isaac blinks and reminds himself not to dwell on things that don’t matter anymore.

“It's fine,” he says, and it is - it just isn't pleasant, facing the demons he has already conquered and watching them taunt him from inside their chains. They laugh, as though they won, even though Isaac knows better. They mock him; try to shove pieces memory into his mind; try to make him crack.

It’s a reminder of the man he tries so hard so forget. Every morning, he wakes up and washes the lingering nightmares away. He breathes in the scents of the pack and knows that things are good, maybe even better than good. He kills the man a thousand times over and it hurts less and less.

He kills and he brings back to life. When Isaac goes to bed at night, he thinks of a warm smile and arms around his middle as he wobbles around on a new bike. He thinks of hot fries at the diner on wendesday afternoons after swim lessons and story-time before bed. Isaac remembers and he’s _fine._  

But even worse than that, it’s a reminder of the Jackson from before - the cruel, careless Jackson, who only saw himself. It’s a spike of fear at the back of Isaac's mind that one day Jackson would lose and become that person again.

He pushes that thought away at once. Isaac has come to find that Jackson isn’t a fundamentally _bad_ person (he likes small animals and cries over the Notebook, for goodness sake), just completely messed up, with a heart slowly emerging from loveless hibernation.  Even his bad days have mellowed, borne more of habit than actual malice and Jackson always apologises (if somewhat grumpily) afterward. Jackson is taking control of who he is, and Isaac is watching it happen with a considerable measure of pride.

Clearly, Jackson does not see what Isaac does. 

“It isn't just fine”, Jackson insists. “I let you hurt for so long, and you- ” he pauses and looks at Isaac with guilt that’s been eating at him for ages, “I let you hug me and comfort me when you should want to rip my face off.”

Isaac looks at Jackson and sees the tired, wrung out heart he's carrying about and is again faced with the fact that he wants to take all of the pain away. He plays with this fact gingerly, tucks it carefully into a section of his mind for further consideration.

“Jackson”, Isaac says firmly, and watches Jackson brace himself - for shouting, for a punch, maybe, or harsh words that will stay burned in his mind forever. Once more, Isaac realizes that he will sooner rip his own teeth off before doing anything that might damage Jackson even more. These revelations are probably very significant, Isaac thinks to himself.

“It's _fine_ ,” and he knows Jackson can hear the steady beat of truth.

Jackson doesn't understand, and Isaac wouldn’t expect him to; Isaac doesn’t even quite understand it himself. But Jackson looks like the weight of a small country has been lifted off his shoulders and Isaac’s shoulders sag as the tension he didn’t know was there disappears. Jackson bites down on his lip (and this is clearly a quirk of his) and inches a little closer like a skittish deer.

“Can I -,” he pauses and Isaac looks at him encouragingly, “Can I hug you?”

And that, Isaac thinks, as he moves towards Jackson, is definitely  _Progress._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short-ish, though heavy-ish, chapter. I'm so bushed from work, seriously, so the next chapter has yet to be edited. I promise it will appear within the week, though. 
> 
> Isaac's issues make me want to sob, ugh, so many feelings.

**Author's Note:**

> In my head, this process will take a long time. Before they can start any sparks, they have to be comfortable with each other and Jackson must be in control of his issues. So expect a few more tedious chapters of issues and messed up Jackson before any love of any kind is made. 
> 
> Also Boyd, I like Boyd. 
> 
>  
> 
> The title, by the way, is from "And the healing has begun" by Van Morrison, who is amazing. I thought it was apt/


End file.
